Close Call

There is something powerful about making a public commitment. That proved true once again last night for me. Because I wrote a couple of days ago that I've decided to go back on 5&1 until Christmas Day, I feel obligated to actually STAY on 5&1 until Christmas Day. That commitment was put to the test last night.

I attended my oldest granddaughter's school Christmas program (she was the cutest 1st grader up there, of course!). Following the hour-long program, they had a reception - three banquet tables lined up and covered with homemade baked goods. Yikes! My preference would have been to have avoided the post-program activity all together, but since this was an opportunity to spend time with my two oldest grandchildren, I stayed. My younger granddaughter (almost 5) needed help, so I ended up walking the entire length of the tables, looking at all of the food, as she decided which cookies she wanted. It was painful and I cannot tell you how tempted I was to have "just one."

But I didn't :-). What mostly stopped me was knowing that I'd just blogged about staying on plan, and I knew I needed to stand by what I said I'd do. I also realized that if I ate anything, it would undoubtedly end up being more than "just one." My brain disengages when I start eating sugar (it amazes me how fast I turn stupid when I get around sweets), so I knew that one cookie would most likely lead to several.

I also know how much I hate feeling guilty when I eat. I spent years feeling guilty about much of what I ate and it's no fun at all. I knew that if I started eating cookies last night, I would have felt guilty while I ate them and would have felt even MORE guilty as I wiped the last crumb from my mouth. It's not worth it.

So instead of eating things that I'd end up regretting, I helped my granddaughter get her treats, then got myself a cup of black coffee. I found a chair and enjoyed my coffee along with a Medifast chocolate mint maintenance bar. What amazed me was that the minute I unwrapped my bar and took a bite, the temptation to eat something else was gone - evaporated in a second. The temptation was replaced by a huge sense of relief at having stood firm and not caving in.

I may be in maintenance and may have been in my goal range for almost 19 months, but there is still a real sense of relief and empowerment when I can make a good choice - even when I don't want to :-). The sense of relief I had last night revealed how much I really did want to do the right thing for me. I savored my bar, sipped my coffee, and felt great - no guilt! It was a great feeling.

Making healthy choices isn't always easy and it sure isn't always fun, but after the choice is made, it feels a whole lot better than the alternative. When you face your own choices today, I hope you'll choose wisely :-)